5 pounds of honey, one gallon of mead?

[Baabaadoo]

Glad i'm fermenting my d47's at 64F then! lol

 

[mdvandenberg]

When the mead stops fermenting, can you tack to secondary and pitch a higher tolerant yeast to finish the day remaining two pounds of honey off?

 

[mdvandenberg]

I can't answer as to the yeast, but even with 1118 champagne yeast I was never able to bring 4 lbs. in a gallon to anywhere near dryness, and my meads at this level were always quite sickeningly and cloyingly sweet. I can't imagine 5 lbs. in a gallon. D47 will not likely approach the alcohol level of champagne yeast, making things worse as to sickening sweetness.

Could it be thinned with water and a higher tolerant yeast just so all the honey gets fermented

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Could it be thinned with water and a higher tolerant yeast just so all the honey gets fermented

The two secrets I have learned of late with regard to maximizing fermentation when a whopper load of honey is involved are to keep the pH above 3.0 (and at around pH 3.4-3.6), and also to periodically add small amounts of varying yeast nutrient(s). Potassium carbonate or potassium bicarbonate are used in small quantities to raise the pH. Wine yeast gets very sluggish as it gets near pH 3.0, and begins dying off outright at or near pH 2.8.

Honey has little to none of the natural buffers which wine exhibits, and therefore as it ferments it's pH falls with no buffering to slow or arrest the fall. And vs. wine it is also quite devoid of natural yeast nutrients.

 

[mdvandenberg]

The two secrets I have learned of late with regard to maximizing fermentation when a whopper load of honey is involved are to keep the pH above 3.0 (and at around pH 3.4-3.6), and also to periodically add small amounts of varying yeast nutrient(s). Potassium carbonate or potassium bicarbonate are used in small quantities to raise the pH. Wine yeast gets very sluggish as it gets near pH 3.0, and begins dying off outright at or near pH 2.8.

Honey has little to none of the natural buffers which wine exhibits, and therefore as it ferments it's pH falls with no buffering to slow or arrest the fall. And vs. wine it is also quite devoid of natural yeast nutrients.

Great. Thanks a lot. So kinda watch and as fermentation slows add say a teaspoon of yeast nutrient?

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Great. Thanks a lot. So kinda watch and as fermentation slows add say a teaspoon of yeast nutrient?

Others more familiar with making mead will need to assist here as to yeast nutrient addition types, quantities, and intervals, but 1 tsp seems like massive overkill for 1 gallon. The nutrients can become harmful to the mead consumer if not done properly. Nutrients won't help for long if pH monitoring and control are not also carried out, since pH inhibited (or outright dead) yeast can't benefit much from nutrients. Acid monitoring may be done via titration, as well as potentially via a pH meter, but I'm a beer guy, and again someone with wine and mead experience needs to assist and clarify here.

 

[Seamonkey84]

Great. Thanks a lot. So kinda watch and as fermentation slows add say a teaspoon of yeast nutrient?

Nutrients is added all up front, or broken down into 3-4 additions based on how much sugar has been used. Look up staggered nutritient additions, TOSNA, or BOMM (Brays one month mead pinned at the top of the forum). If your making a traditional mead and your using wine nutrient blend other than Fermaid K or O like described in these protocols, then most would use 2-3X the amount as instructed, as there’s no fruit to add any additional nutrients like in wine. But don’t add nutrients in once it’s at 10% ABV or above.